KIRKPINAR OIL WRESTLING FESTIVAL

He was born in 1964 in İpsala, Edirne . He completed primary and secondary education in İpsala. In 1983, he graduated from Trakya University, Edirne Education School and Department of Social Sciences at Anadolu University in 2001. He worked as a Branch Manager and Assistant Director of National Education between the dates of 1998-2003 in Edirne Directorate of Education. In addition to his work in Edirne Provincial, Directorate of Planning and Coordination in  2004, he also took part in Cross-Border  Cooperation Activities and in European Union Educational and Youth Programs. He also served as the General Secretary of Thrace Development Association founded by Edirne, Kırklareli and Tekirdağ Governorships. In 2005, he was appointed General Secretary of Trakya University and he resigned on 10 March 2011 to become Edirne CHP (Republican People’s Party) Deputy Candidate for Nomination. He worked as a reporter at University Board of Directors and at the Senate of University. He was also a founder member of the board of directors at Trakya University Technopark Technology Development Zone. In addition to these, he was founder members and directors of many non-governmental organizations such as Edirne Atatürkist Thought Association, Edirne Association for Supporting Contemporary Life, Edirne Culture and Fraternal Association and Edirne Tourism Association and Edirne Photographic Art Association. He worked as founding member and manager in Education-Business Edirne Province Presidency between the dates of 1990-1995 and in Eğitim-Sen (Education and Science Workers’ Union) Headquarters which was established later. He obtained “The Most Successful Bureaucrat in 2010” award which was given traditionally every year by Edirne TV after taken the opinion of the people in Edirne and civil society organizations. He became CHP (Republican People’s Party) Deputy Candidate from Edirne by the highest vote in pre-election on a member basis held on 3 April 2011. In the elections on 12 June 2011, he was elected as CHP Edirne Deputy by winning favour in Edirne people’s eyes and raising CHP’s vote rate. He served as a member of National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commissions in Turkey Grand National Assembly (TBMM). In local elections held on March 30, 2014, he was elected as the Mayor of Edirne from CHP.

He has enabled the establishment of “Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival Information and Documentation Centre” by collecting all the information and documents related to Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling in order to share with the entire world.  In this context, he has led to the establishment of the necessary information technology to make actual “Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Digitisation Project”. He has provided special places from tribunes for Agas and head wrestlers who laboured for Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling in 2014.

He is married and has two children named Eylem and Yiğit.